Bruins make signing ahead of trade deadline

The Bruins got their deadline rolling with Tuesday's trade with the Oilers that sent an injured Trent Frederic (and Max Jones) to Edmonton for a three-piece return.

And though the Bruins should almost certainly have at least one more move made on the trade front between then and Friday's 3 p.m. trade deadline, the next move made by general manager Don Sweeney & Co. was not a trade, but rather a signing, with forward Tyler Pitlick signed to a one-year, two-way contract through the remainder of the 2024-25 season.

Pitlick will make a league-minimum $775,000 cap hit on this deal, according to the team.

Pitlick's signing comes in the midst of what's been a strong season in Providence for the 6-foot-2, right-shot forward, with 16 goals and 33 points in 43 games for the P-Bruins.

Pitlick's 16 goals are tied with Patrick Brown and Riley Tufte for the second-most on the club this season, and trail only Vinni Lettieri and his team-leading 20 goals on the year. His 33 points, meanwhile, are fourth-most on the Baby B's, trailing Lettieri (48), Brown (44), and Georgii Merkulov (44).

The 33-year-old Pitlick had originally joined Providence on a pro tryout that lasted 15 games before he inked an AHL contract with the club in December. What's most notable is that this new contract makes Pitlick eligible to be recalled to the NHL by the Bruins.

A second-round pick of the Oilers in 2010, Pitlick has made 420 NHL appearances in his career, and totaled one goal and four points in 34 games for the Rangers last season. Prior to his one-year run in New York, Pitlick had a solid 2022-23 campaign as a depth piece in St. Louis, with seven goals and 16 points (his most points since 20 in 2019-20) in 61 games for the Blues.